Shameless denial has been Franklin's MO for 8 years or more. (I could give my face-to-face experience of it, which left me understanding better what Orwell had in mind in '1984,' but the digression would take too long.) Borders will treat us to the same. She already does. Reed, if his forum appearances are anything to go by, is much more forthright. Perhaps having to deal in a contested space like the GA congress - rather than an echo chamber where the AJC was the only potential dissenting note - has made Reed more adept at responding candidly to others' comments. Perhaps it's his style. Perhaps his momma told him to try and be truthful with people. Perhaps he'd adopt Franklin's stiff-arming approach if elected. Reed's worth a try folks. The alternatives are just so damn depressing.

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So Franklin supports a "fair and independent" investigation and you all are condemning her? Do you think she can really comment on an ongoing internal affairs investigation without putting the City at risk for a potential lawsuit? Further, I have to wonder how many clubs / strip clubs on the southside have been raided in the last 8 years to not nearly as much coverage.

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Borders on the ridiculous writes; "Reed’s worth a try folks. The alternatives are just so damn depressing." That's the conclusion I've come to also.

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I agree with S. Dekalb Voter. I mean, Franklin is a contemptable politician who has screwed this city with no lube (pardon my French). She and that farkin' flower can't leave soon enough in my opinion. But "rico from tampico" (hood punch) and "borders on the ridiculous" are wrong. Who was Franklin's campaign manager for both of her election terms, the same Franklin who has jacked up the city and then had the nerve to get indignant about it?: KASIM REED. Who currently is the darling of the developers in the city, receiving the most monetary contributions from them?: KASIM REED Who will try to crack a smile in your face and make a bunch of lofty promises, then turn around break them (just like Franklin)?: KASIM REED Choose anyone else. Choose the "Buckhead Betty/Palin clone" Norwood. Choose the "velvet gloved" Borders. Choose "Uncle Remus" Spikes. Or choose those other two guys running. Hell, even choose that little loud-mouthed girl who writes press releases about not being a write-in candidate or speaking out against our recent flood. But please, please, PLEASE...do not choose Kasim Reed. That Negro is the worst of Atlanta politics, Black, White, Gay or Straight.

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I may have to start a write-in campaign. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2wjS4iI5wg

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If anyone wants to ask me questions about what happened at The Eagle and how it is affecting my life...I will be at Target (Edgewood) getting Dog Flea Medicine after 6pm.

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Betsy writes; "Choose anyone else. Choose the “Buckhead Betty/Palin clone” Norwood. Choose the “velvet gloved” Borders. Choose “Uncle Remus” Spikes. Or choose those other two guys running. Hell, even choose that little loud-mouthed girl who writes press releases about not being a write-in candidate or speaking out against our recent flood. But please, please, PLEASE…do not choose Kasim Reed. That Negro is the worst of Atlanta politics, Black, White, Gay or Straight." OK, I'm listening. I feel no love for Kasim. But I hear from highly respected friends who have worked at very high levels of the City Government for years and years that Norwood's a nitwit and Lisa's an empty suit. So, Kasim -- who I know little about -- is worse? I'm listening. Keep the info coming.

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I've been watching this race as intently as anybody, and I am finding Reed to be the most intelligent and capable of leading Atlanta forward.

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Lisa is lyin' in her e-blast today when she says her rivals are not explaining how they'll make their budgets add up and that she is. Kasim is forthright about having to roll back pension benefits, which account for ~ 20% of the budget. Lisa is not. Lisa pretends that her sales tax collection plan will bring in significantly more money for Atlanta. But even if she could get it implemented -and where has she been while sales tax revenues stagnated the past 5 years? - the highest estimate I've seen for what it could add is $10mm, which is only 2% of the budget.

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I'm with Dash. Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, would be a pretty kick ass mayor. In his stead, I will vote for Lisa. But in the meantime, I do enjoy the persistent haphazard attacks of Kasim supporters, who no doubt continue to be disappointed in the lack of polling movement Kasim has made. If he can't crack 60% name ID or 20% who say they'll vote for him, how is he going to win? Mind you, like most sane people, I would vote for Kasim over Mary in a second. Just not over Lisa. Now if it were Jesse and Mary left, I'd just burn the house down, take the insurance settlement and move. No sense staying for that train wreck.

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@Mr T, Pray summarize your rationale for preferring Lisa. Seriously, we few who care haven't voted yet and might learn something still to change our minds. My very pen name proclaims that I find Lisa unqualified for the job - she lacks the brainpower and the public interest values. However, we are clearly in least-bad territory here, so I'm still open to fact-based arguments for Lisa's quals and against Kasim's. Have you loved the Shirley ride so much you want another 8 years of it with Lisa? If you see any discontinuity between the two, what would it be? (OK, Lisa does not have a murdering drug kingpin for a 'former' son-in-law as far as we know, which IS a nice change. Anything else?) Or are you simply a partner or PR flack with Cousins, the clear winner from a Lisa mayoralty? I know you would hardly confess that, but if you don't give reasons for loving Lisa, folks are gonna conclude what they will.

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BOTR, why do you think Lisa is closer to Shirley than Kasim? Kasim is clearly the next in line of the so-called "machine". This should be interesting...I hope Mr. T responds to this challenge.

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BOTR - I like Lisa's executive experience, her ideas on public/private partnerships to sustain underfunded programs and departments (along with her access to those companies/leaders that can make them happen), her realistic plans for expanding public safety personnel, her willingness to think creatively about growing revenue, her gold dome and DC relationships that include both sides of the aisle, and her clear understanding of how the city operates. To pretend that she doesn't understand and hasn't acknowledged the pension problem is disingenuous. But if any politician thinks they're just gonna stride in and cut pensions, they better get ready for some serious labor action. Difference between experience writing policy and experience executing it, I guess. Lisa is no Shirley clone but I think she will continue and accelerate some of Shirley's best ideas, e.g. the Beltline and finance dept reorganization. I do not work at Cousins but I am friends with Lisa and have been for years. I use the Mr. T handle because I have a high-profile position with a publicly visible organization and I don't want my opinions to be my employer's problem to deal with. I don't use it because i have a hidden agenda. Plenty of people (including a couple at CL) know my identity and can verify that i am telling the truth. What's your connection to Kasim and how do you stand to gain from his election? Finally, I disagree that Cousins will directly gain from Lisa's victory but I get that tying her to developers serves Kasim, even while he's gotten more developer contributions than any candidate. It's a slick move but not entirely surprising. Facts are so inconvenient when you've got a story to sell.

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Rico: That's right -- that Negro is the worst. You heard it here.

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Thanks, Mr T, for supplying your rationale. I'm a 20+-yr Atlanta resident and taxpayer with nothing personal to gain from any of the candidates and nothing to gain from being renowned for strong views on local politics. I want the most qualified mayor for this crisis. Like you, I can't prove my identity. Your reasons regrettably don't work for me. Lisa’s executive experience - she has not been an executive, not met payroll: she has been a high-level govt relations rep, which is very different. She's an influence peddler, not a manager, but loves to pretend otherwise. Her ideas on public/private partnerships to sustain underfunded programs and departments - are total BS (like everyone else who blathers this way). Big public expenditure is not going to come from the private sector. The last creative financing along such lines was the TAD, an unmitigated fiscal disaster for the city. Access to those companies/leaders that can make them happen - any mayor can open doors to those with something to gain. Her realistic plans for expanding public safety personnel - Do not distinguish her from Kasim, who seems less liable to pretend that violent crime in Atlanta is mere perception. Her willingness to think creatively about growing revenue - is BS, because there's no magic here. (I don't see evidence that she can think creatively about anything, by the way.) Her gold dome and DC relationships that include both sides of the aisle - Kasim has much more claim to these. Clear understanding of how the city operates - if she understands, why did she not support a tax increase in 2008 and why did she appoint stooges (Shook, Muller, Winslow) to the three key council committees? To pretend that she doesn’t understand and hasn’t acknowledged the pension problem is disingenuous. - Really it's a big distinction when Kasim goes head-on for the thing that has driven the budget crisis and Lisa ducks it. Kasim would have a mandate on this. And city employees cannot strike here, so a tough mayor can roll back the benefits while promoting morale by appointing a decent police chief etc.

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BOTR - There's nothing regrettable about my reasons not working for you - they were never intended to. Your position is crystal clear and not likely to shift because of a blog post. You asked, I answered. I knew you would go point by point, attempting to dispute. I will only argue fact, not opinion, with you. Executive experience - You are dead wrong. Lisa worked in healthcare administration for more than a decade prior to joining Cousins. She has hired, fired, met payroll and performed every other duty as an executive running one of the city's largest womens practices. At Cousins, she ran marketing communications and the corporate foundation, all with substantial budgets and bottom line responsibility. All of this is easy to find if you care to actually look. Public/Private - Yes, Atlantic Station (the highest-profile example of what TADs help accomplish) is a disaster. Before it was built, the property generated $300k per year in taxes. It currently generates more than $30 million in property taxes and another $10 million to $20 million in sales taxes. At this pace, the TAD bonds will be paid off in 6-7 years and after that, the county/city get the money. All public/private ideas should be so lucky to be this disastrous. Expanding public safety - Kasim has suggested hiring 750 more officers. Lisa has said 170. That's a big difference, especially when you consider how to pay for them. Plus, Lisa has never suggested the crime problem was perception. In fact, she has said the opposite. Gold dome - If Kasim has "much more claim" to bi-partisan relationships at the Capitol, I wish they had been evident when he took a leading position on the conference committee on last session's transportation bill. Would have saved ARC the $25 million they used to keep MARTA afloat. Everything else you use to support your claims is opinion, which is fine but I'm not here to change your mind. It would be nice, though, if you'd work to get facts right before posting. I'm sure you wouldn't let you clear dislike for Lisa to cloud your appreciation of facts.

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All that carping about facts makes you sound like me T :-)

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Dale, my friend, we can both love facts and still call the other a douche. Apparently, I'm a Borders apologist though. Says so on another post. Don't know what to make of that...guess I'm wrong for believing she said something in error. I do know this - I am amazed that people still want to run for office and have half-wits coming at you from all sides like a damn zombie movie. Brains!!

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fellas, fellas. u can all be douches. i still don't understand why shirley franklin, of all people, hasn't taken a stronger position against the seemingly unnessecary and over the top raid at the eagle.

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or are we pretending that the honorable mayor isn't, as has often been relayed to me by gay and lesbian friends, "family"?

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T - exactly why we get morons and sycophants in office ... on all levels

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